Camila Sosa
The second round of the East will begin with everything this Saturday when the current national champion, Baylor, is measured with a very dangerous team as North Carolina. The Bears are come from an 85-49 sweep of Norfolk State, while the Tar Heels dispatched Marquette 95-63, in what represented the game with the largest difference in history between an 8th seed and a 9th seed.
Picks and Predictions for the North Carolina Tar Heels vs Baylor Bears NCAA Basketball Championship Round 2 Game on March 19
- Where: Dickies Arena – Fort Worth, Texas
- When: Saturday, March 19, 12:10 PM ET
- Betting Line: North Carolina Tar Heels (+5.5) vs Baylor Bears (-5.5)
North Carolina Tar Heels Betting Preview (Seeding #8)
- Overall Record: 24-9
- Conference Record: 15-5
- Spread: +5.5
- Over/Under: Over 137
- Moneyline: +200
In their game against Marquette, the Tar Heels made the most of being one of the best teams taking rebounds by adding 46, and against Baylor that should again be their main weapon. While the Bears play very well under the hoop, North Carolina is much better and they should take advantage of this in order to take second chances against a team that is favorite to repeat the championship. In this case, the player to follow in Brady Manek, who against Marquette achieved double-double (28 points and 11 rebounds), and he was the second best rebounder of the team in the season.
Regarding the defensive side, there are doubts on part of the Tar Heels. While they left Marquette at 49 points, Baylor’s offense is far superior to that of its early opponents (they scored 85), so controlling the paint must be a priority to snatch the ball from the Bears who, in turn, lose very little possession and are aggressive when attacking.
Baylor Bears Betting Preview (Seeding #1)
- Overall Record: 26-6
- Conference Record: 14-4
- Spread: -5.5
- Over/Under: Over 137
- Moneyline: -240
Moving the ball, running the court, and scoring points out of three are the Baylor’s keys to overcoming the tough hurdle they will have on Saturday when they face North Carolina. Their rivals are not very good at defending at long distance, and they must take advantage of the fact that in the season they threw for 35% from the line of three to take an early advantage to the Tar Heels.
On the defensive side, the pressure they can exert on an offense that depends a lot on the internal game and offensive rebounds will be vital. In the game against Norfolk State, they forced the opponent to lose the ball on 15 occasions thanks to the pressure and fast play they exert throughout the court. If they can do it again against North Carolina, they will have practically the victory assured since in the season they played for 21-0 when the opponent shot for less than 47% in field goals.
JefeBet Prediction
Both teams showed their offensive spirit in the first game of March Madness. They both move the ball well, and North Carolina, even though they don’t throw very well from three, they had a perfect performance against Marquette. This Saturday we certainly expect a good offensive show, and that’s why I’m leaving with the Over of commitment.
